Jamie Foxx's Best Acting Performances

Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop in December 1967. He is a comedian, actor, and singer. He started his entertainment career in 1989 as a standup comedian. His film debut came in 1992 with a supporting role in the comedy movie Toys. Jamie has appeared in both big-budget and independent films. Additionally, he occasionally appears as himself in television programs. Jamie’s ability to impeccably and successfully conquer comedy, movie, and music genres makes him one the most versatile entertainer in Hollywood. He has played many characters on the big screen, but there are some that have undoubtedly put him in the greatest-of-all-time status. These are his most memorable acting performances.

Ray is a biographical drama film that highlights the life of the legendary musician Ray Charles. The movie premiered in October 2004 and went on to achieve critical acclaim and commercial success in its theatrical run. Ray reportedly grossed over $120 million from a $40 million budget. The success of the film was largely due to the outstanding performance by Jamie Foxx in his portrayal of the soul singer.

The film closely follows Ray Charles’ life starting from a young age, and the major moments that shaped his career. For example, we see that Ray Charles started playing the piano at a young age. He also had to deal with unscrupulous club owners who tried to exploit him and his fight with heroin addiction. Ray also highlight’s the musician’s private life by showcasing tension with his family and his infidelities.

Jamie Foxx’s outstanding performance as the lead role in the film earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild, and Critics' Choice, entering a prestige league of actors who have won all five major lead actor awards for the same performance.

Foxx portrays a taxi driver who is unknowingly caught up in a crime web in the thriller Collateral. Actor Tom Cruise plays the lead. The film might have been slightly overshadowed by the brilliant Ray movie that was also on its theatrical run that year but was still a box office juggernaut grossing over $220 million worldwide. The brilliance of the film was the chemistry between Foxx and Cruise. This was yet another incredible performance by Jamie Foxx in 2004. Collateral largely received positive reviews when it premiered. It has an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 71/100 score on Metacritic. Jamie Foxx was nominated for best-supporting actor at the Academy Award and the British Academy Film Awards.

Foxx taking the lead role in the Quentin Tarantino-directed Western film is perhaps his most popular in his recent filmography. The movie grossed over $400 million at the worldwide box office making it the most successful project helmed by Tarantino. Django Unchained was heavily criticized for its graphic portrayal of slavery and the derogative use of the word ‘nigger’ despite the success.

Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx) is looking to reunite with his wife after they separated because he has sold off. A German bounty hunter buys the slave as the movie progresses. Django helps the bounty hunter in his conquests and in turn, he promises to help the slave get his wife back. Jamie’s portrayal of Django was sharp and witty. The supporting cast that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, and Kerry Washington provided the gravitas that pushed the plot forward. Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his role. For his screenplay, Tarantino won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA for the movie.

This is perhaps Jamie Foxx’s best performance since Ray, albeit in a supporting role. Just Mercy is a 2009 biographical drama starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. The movie is based on Bryan Stevenson’s (played by Michael B. Jordan) memoir where he explores his life’s work of being a defense lawyer for African American prisoners.

The film follows one of the cases involving Walter McMillian. Walter (played by Foxx) was wrongfully convicted of murder. The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Foxx was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Michael and Foxx both won the NAACP Image Awards for their respective roles in the movie.

This film was based on true events and follows the life of the founding Crip gang member, Stan Tookie Williams. Jamie Foxx had a conflicting schedule when production of the film began as he had also signed up to work on the movie, Collateral. He, however, finished making the film saying that his portrayal of Stan was an opportunity to inspire the black communities in the inner cities.

Jamie Foxx frequently visited Stan who was in prison during the shooting of the film. The movie follows Stan’s life as a gang leader in the streets of Los Angeles and his time behind bars.  The film also highlights the work that Stan did in an effort to decrease gangs and gang violence in the streets of Los Angeles. Stan was executed in 2005 via lethal injection.

Yet another stellar supporting role performance by Foxx. Any Given Sunday is widely regarded as one of the best sports movies of all time. Jamie Foxx stars alongside Al Pacino, Dennis Quid, and Cameron Diaz. The film is loosely based on a 1984 novel of the same name by former NFL player Pat Toomay.

Foxx plays Willie, who believes that racism in the NFL affects his career. He is given a chance to prove himself and surprisingly becomes a successful quarterback. He, however, creates unnecessary tension within the team by disregarding the coach during plays. Willie is also heavily criticized by some of his teammates for not showing leadership skills on the pitch. The quarterback is eventually demoted to the bench, but we later see him being inspired to change his character as the movie progresses. As much as this is a supporting role, Jamie Foxx’s character plays an important role in the movie by constantly pushing the plot forward.

The Pixar animated film follows pianist Joe Gardner in New York City. He finds himself as a disembodied soul seemingly floating to the afterlife after he accidentally falls into a manhole. The movie features his initial pursuit of trying to escape the afterlife. He then meets Tina Fay’s character, 22 and their adventure finds them learning more about themselves.

The movie premiered in October 2020, but Soul was released in December on Disney+. Disney scrapped its North American theatrical release due to the COVID pandemic. The critical response to the movie was largely positive. The movie has an aggregated approval rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.  It scored 83/100 on Metacritic.

Jamie Foxx's acting career is widely regarded to have taken off on the Sitcom. It lasted five seasons between 1996 and 2001. The show had relative success because it aired on the then-little-known WB channel. The plot sees Jamie King, an aspiring musician moving to Los Angeles to follow his entertainment dreams. King financially supports himself by working at his family’s hotel owned by his aunt and uncle (played by Ellia English and Garrett Morris).

The show also dives into King’s love life. Jamie King meets his love interest Francesca ‘Fancy’ Monroe (Garcelle Beauvais) while working at the family hotel. His romantic overtures toward Fancy are mostly unreciprocated until the final two seasons. The two eventually date and get married in the final episodes of the show. The wittiness and silliness of King’s character have defined how Jamie Foxx has approached his comedy career.

Jamie’s appearance on the second installment of the off-beat crime comedy adds a fresh comic perspective to the film. His supporting role deliberately goes off-script from the conventional portrayal of black criminals. The first and second Horrible Bosses films have a common theme; a group of friends trying to seek revenge on their ‘horrible bosses’. Nick, Dale, and Kurt (played by Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis respectively) hire Dean to help them kidnap an investor who tried to swindle them out of their invention and leave them in debt. Foxx proved to be the right choice for the role as he delivers comedy gold in almost every scene he appears. The movie’s disappointing box office numbers did not take away from Foxx’s performance.